24/11/2021
Work Waves 👋 Hello to member Holly Darton (top) 👋.
What do you do for a living?
One half of Hunt & Darton, a leading arts organisation in creating groundbreaking public, participatory, and highly creative artistic activity. From a pop-up cafe to an open-air radio station, we make work for public spaces and empty shops creating innovative grass-roots projects with high-quality public engagement. Basically we make work with people!
Tell us about a project you've worked on lately.
‘Kids business’, which we just piloted this year in Basildon, in our brand new public artwork in which we take over an empty shop and invite a group of children (recruited from the high street) to mastermind the next business venture for their town. We nurture and establish the vision of the children and then open their concept as a real high street enterprise. It’s about empowerment and harnessing the flamboyant vision of kids and develops the next generation of entrepreneurs letting them know they are seen, important and can aim high. KB tours next year to 5 City’s/Towns around the UK.
What do you spend a silly amount of time on?
Compiling funding proposals; it can be a long, time consuming process but ultimately worth it in the end as it enables us to carry on!
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
My kids and then tea to make it all okay
What's the biggest risk you've taken?
There’s not been one big risk, but more like many smaller ones taken pretty regularly! Risk taking is integral to my work, be it in the creative making process or just being out making art with real people on the high street.
What's some good advice you've received?
Set boundaries
What are you currently reading listening to?
Currently reading Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency by Olivia Laing, its a brilliant book about why art matters especially in the turbulent political weather of the world we live in now.
How has Work Way Upton made your days happier?
Great space, brilliant playlist, coffee on tap, good artwork, positive atmosphere and like minded people… all local to my house! Still can’t quite believe it!
